Customer experience

Google Pay is the better way to buy because the mobile app is easy for customers to set up and use to make purchases wherever merchants do business. Here’s an overview of what customers experience when they buy with Google Pay.

Add e-money cards

Add credit and debit cards

After a customer downloads the free Google Pay app from the Google Play Store, they can add a new card to Google Pay at any time. Keep in mind that:

If they haven’t added a card, when they try to tap and pay in a store for the first time, Google Pay will prompt them to add one.

Until a customer adds a card to Google Pay, they won't see it as a payment option in the merchant's Android app and may be prompted to add one

If a customer adds many cards to the app, they can simply drag the default card they want to use as their primary method of payment. To learn more about the process of adding cards to Google Pay, see how payments work.

After a customer adds a card to Google Pay, they can simply tap and pay in stores at the point-of-sale terminal or in apps and their transaction will be completed quickly and easily using their personal information and the default card in the app.

In-store purchases

Purchases in stores are faster and easier when customers choose to buy with Google Pay.

Tap and Pay: To make a purchase in stores using Google Pay, a customer who has already set up the app and added a credit or debit card must "wake" their mobile device at the point-of-sale and hold it against the contactless NFC reader. For some higher value transactions, the mobile device will need to be unlocked.

To make a purchase in stores using Google Pay, a customer who has already set up the app and added an e-money card must hold their mobile device against the contactless NFC reader.

Tap and Pay: To make a purchase in stores using Google Pay, a customer who has already set up the app and added a credit or debit card must unlock their mobile device at the point-of-sale and hold it against the contactless NFC reader.

Google Pay only supports domestic e-money cards in Japan. Google Pay treats these transactions the same as those made with a plastic card.

Merchants may require cardholders to enter a credit card PIN at the terminal or sign a receipt for some transactions.

Merchants may require CDCVM for some transactions. With CDCVM, cardholders may be asked to unlock their device using the fingerprint or device password or pattern instead of having to provide a credit card PIN or sign a receipt.

Just as with a credit or debit card, customers may need to sign a receipt depending on the store and transaction amount.

Payment notifications: The customer will get an instant notification on their device and in the Google Pay app that the payment has been processed by the merchant’s payment processor. In some cases, the customer can even tap the notification to view transaction details. The payment will also appear in the customer’s transaction history in the app.

In-app purchases

Customers can use Google Pay to quickly and easily make purchases within your Android mobile app because they don't have to manually enter their payment and shipping information each time they make a purchase.

Buy with Google Pay: A customer who has already set up and added a credit or debit card to Google Pay can quickly make a purchase in your Android mobile app by tapping the "Buy with GPay" button. Their shipping, billing, and payment info is securely passed to the merchant app by Google Pay.

Customer confirmation: The customer confirms their personal and purchase info and they’re on their way faster than ever thanks to you and Google Pay. Unlike other payment platforms, Google Pay doesn't re-direct them to another site to pay. One of the many benefits of Google Pay to both merchants and customers is that customers can easily share their payment info with a single click and complete their purchase within the merchant's mobile app.

Easy integration: Merchants don't have to make any changes to your existing payment processing when adding Google Pay to your app. We work with leading processors like Braintree, CyberSource, First Data, Stripe, and Vantiv to simplify this integration even further.